In recent years there has been a significant increase in demand for cheese generally, as well as for cheeses with specific performance or nutritional characteristics. This general demand is driven in part by the steady growth in the ready meal or convenience food sector of the food industry since cheese is an ingredient in many foods within this sector. The increasing popularity of various pizza-type products is one specific example of cheese-containing products in this sector that have contributed to the surge in demand. Consumer's health concerns have been a major factor driving the increased demand for cheeses with improved nutritional characteristics, such as those that are lower in fat, differ in fatty acid profile, have increased calcium content, and/or are lower in cholesterol. These concerns, as well as cost considerations, have been the impetus for the development of a number of cheese analogs (e.g., imitation cheeses or cheese substitutes) that offer various health advantages (e.g., replacement of animal fat with healthier vegetable oil and increased vitamin or mineral levels) and cost benefits (e.g., vegetable oils are less expensive than certain dairy ingredients).
One general class of cheeses that are widely used are the “firm/semi-hard cheeses.” These cheeses generally have percentage moisture on a fat free basis (MFFB) of about 54% or more, by weight. For example, firm/semi-hard cheeses may have a range of MFFB of about 54% to about 80%, by wt., or about 58% to about 75%, by wt. Examples of cheeses in this class include, for example, Colby, Havarti, Monterey Jack, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Cheshire, and Muenster. Other commonly used cheeses in this class are the “soft” cheeses. Soft cheeses typically have a MFFB of greater than about 60%, by wt. Mozzarella variety cheeses can be in the soft or firm/semi-hard categories, or in between the two, depending upon their composition. Standard mozzarella, for example, is designated as a soft cheese. Part-skim mozzarella is between soft and firm/semi-hard. Low-moisture mozzarella and low-moisture part-skim mozzarella are both designated as firm/semi-hard cheeses.
Some cheeses in the soft or firm/semi-hard categories are made by a process in which a cheese curd is heated and kneaded to improve the stretchability or stringiness of the final cheese, a characteristic desired by consumers in pizzas and related products. This process and related processes are sometimes referred to as a pasta filata process of manufacturing. Cheeses made by this process are known under a variety of names, including mozzarella, pasta filata, provolone, Mexican style, scamorze, and pizza cheese.
“Analog cheeses” (or cheese analogs) constitute a second major category of cheese. As alluded to above, there has been an increased demand for analog cheese because of cost and health considerations. Analog cheese generally refers to a cheese in which milk fat and/or a protein source has been substituted with a source that is not native to milk. Analog cheeses are typically lower cost than other cheese types because the processing can be performed less expensively and because certain milk ingredients can be substituted with cheaper products (e.g., substituting vegetable oil for milk fat). The health benefits derive from substitution of the milk fat and protein with other healthier substitutes and the ability to add other ingredients that can improve the nutritional characteristics of the final product.
Cheese analogues are typically categorized as dairy, partial dairy, or nondairy, depending on whether the fat and/or dairy components are from dairy or vegetable sources. They can also be classified as being an imitation cheese or a substitute cheese. Imitation cheese is a substitute for and resembles another cheese but is nutritionally inferior to that cheese. A cheese substitute, on the other hand, resembles another cheese but is not nutritionally inferior to that cheese.
Soft and firm/semi-hard cheeses and analogue cheeses have similar melt, flowability, and texture characteristics. The stretch of analogue cheese, however, is generally inferior to that of soft or firm/semi-hard cheeses. Analog cheeses also have a quick fat release and do not brown like conventional soft or firm/semi-hard products.
A third general category of cheese, namely blends of soft or firm/semi-hard cheese and an analog cheese (or simply cheese blends or soft or firm/semi-hard ripened or unripened blended cheeses), have been developed in an attempt to obtain some of the benefits associated with analog cheese while maintaining the desired stretch and browning characteristics of the soft or firm/semi-hard cheeses. Methods for preparing such blends typically involve blending the raw ingredients for an analog cheese with a soft or firm/semi-hard cheese curd or reworking a soft or firm/semi-hard cheese. The functional attributes of cheese blends, however, are generally like those of analogue cheese, with stretchability and browning characteristics that are inferior to those of soft or firm/semi-hard cheeses.
There thus remains a need for methods of making soft or firm/semi-hard ripened or unripened blended cheeses that result in improved performance and allow for greater control regarding incorporation of ingredients into the cheese so the final product has the desired functionality.